Aiming for the first victory in the Japan-Korea Capital Final Round!

　The third preseason match against K League FC Seoul this year. It was held away. In the recent Nabisco final round against Verdy, we conceded the first goal and were constantly chasing the game in the first half under the pressure of "having to win" to advance to the qualifiers. However, thanks to Hirayama's hat-trick, we were able to secure a victory and advance to the quarterfinals of the final round tournament. After that, the team had a three-day break and the atmosphere was good. We want to continue this momentum and defeat FC Seoul, and start off well for the league match against Chiba on 6/29 (Sun) that will resume.

　FC Seoul, on the other hand, is currently in 4th place (out of 14 teams) with 20 points in the league (5 wins, 5 draws, 1 loss). While MF Cho Yong-yong and FW Park Ju-young are absent due to their activities with the South Korean national team, they have players of national team caliber in each generation and will launch sharp attacks centered around FW Jung Jo-gook. In addition, coach Günes, who has been in charge since last season, seems to approach the match with a strong determination, saying, "It is a joy to have the 3rd Tokyo-Seoul capital match, but we must play a game that is not ashamed of it." With an eye on the resumption of the league on the 25th (Wednesday), the team's motivation is high.

　Tokyo, with the absence of the Japan national team duo Nagatomo and Konno, as well as Kajiyama who will be playing in the Olympic representative match on Dec 12 (Thu), will not be accompanying the team on their trip considering their condition. Coach Jofuku says, "We are focused on the match against Chiba on 6/29, but we also want both good performance and results." The starting members will be facing the match with a lineup change of CB Sasaki and LB Kanazawa from the Nabisco match against Verdy, and Asari replacing Kajiyama.

　Ishikawa is determined, saying, "FC Seoul is a team with a type that Japan doesn't have, combining strength and speed. We have played two games so far, but we haven't won yet, so we really want to win!" Cabore also faced FC Seoul while playing in the K League last season. He scored 3 goals in 2 league games, showing his compatibility. Today, the registered members will be limited to 18 and substitutions to 7. The match will be held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, filled with about 40,000 people. It started with FC Seoul's kickoff at 3:00pm.

Cabore's PK gives the lead, safely carrying the game to the first half.

　Sunny with strong sunlight, Tokyo takes the initiative from the beginning. In the 5th minute, Cabore breaks through the right side on a through pass from Hirayama. Emerson, who followed from behind, sends a direct cross and Cabore shoots the ball that Hirayama headed down. Asari follows up on the ball that the GK deflected, but it goes outside the frame. In the 9th minute, Hirayama receives a throw-in from Kanazawa on the left side, dribbles past the opponent's DF and shoots with his left foot, but it goes straight to the GK. They continue to connect passes and smoothly launch attacks from both sides.

　In the 15th minute, Sato injured his right foot and was replaced by Shige, but the attack did not slow down. In the 17th minute, Emerson on the right side sent a through pass to Hirayama, but it was cut off and the ball fell to the center of the midfield where Cabore took a powerful shot that went wide to the left. In the 19th minute, Cabore ran onto Emerson's long pass, shook off the defender and took a shot, but the opponent's goalkeeper made a save. The opponent's defense was unable to keep up with Cabore's speed and couldn't stop him.

　FC Seoul also launched quick attacks from midfield by cutting off passes, and there were moments when FW John Jorguk was able to get into a shooting position, but they did not allow any goals with a defense focused on Shioda. Furthermore, Cabore's momentum is accelerating. In the 28th minute, Emerson and in the 36th minute, a through pass from Hanyu created a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper, but it missed the frame.

　Then, in the 38th minute, he picked up the opponent's pass mistake and dribbled towards the goal. Unable to resist, the opponent's DF stopped Cabore with a foul and earned a PK. Cabore himself scored the first goal in the 40th minute with this PK. After that, FC Seoul also launched a counterattack from the right side and seized a chance from a FK, but did not allow any goals. The first half ended like that.

Allowing a goal to FC Seoul's fierce attack, ending in a draw

　Substitute Ishikawa for Hanyu from the start of the second half. In the 47th minute, Hirayama was free in the center from Ishikawa's right corner kick, but his one-touch shot went over the frame. It was a decisive moment. FC Seoul, unlike the first half, pressed hard from the front and when they won the ball, both sides made bold runs. They started to launch thick attacks with more players and gradually found their rhythm. In the 55th minute, they connected passes in front of the goal and crossed from the right side. FW John Jorguk dropped the ball in the center and FW Dejan was left free to take a shot, but the ball hit the post and crossed the goal line.

　Tokyo made a substitution in the 59th minute, bringing in Akamine, Otake, and Ogi for Cabore, Bruno QUADROS, and Shiota. They wanted to create a new rhythm with fresh players, but FC Seoul's momentum couldn't be stopped. Then in the 73rd minute, a cross from the right side by Tokyo was directly passed by FW John Jogo Kuk to FW Dejan in the area, who made a run and took a shot. Ogi's best effort couldn't reach the ball and the goal was scored, tying the game.

　After that, both teams continued to fiercely attack and defend, and towards the end Tokyo had several chances. In the 80th minute, they quickly restarted from a free kick and Akamine took a powerful middle shot, but it was saved by the GK. In the 83rd minute, Hirayama made a direct through pass from the right, and Ishikawa received it and took a shot, but the opposing GK made a great save. In the 87th minute, Emerson made an early cross from the right side, and Hirayama made a spectacular diving header in the center, but it was saved by the GK again.

　In stoppage time, Ishikawa dribbled past the defenders with speed on the right side and sent a cross from deep inside the opponent's half, but Akamine's shot from the near side went to the right of the goal. In the end, they were unable to score an additional goal and the game ended. With this draw, Tokyo's overall record is 2 wins and 1 loss.

　【Player Comments】《Cabore》"We were able to attack in a good shape in the first half, but the quality of our attack dropped in the second half due to the heat. We had many chances, but I couldn't finish them. I thought we could score if we could make runs behind Seoul's flat defensive line. I will do my best to use this experience in the future J-League matches."《Lins》"It was our first time playing against this team, and we wanted to see how well we could play our own game. In that sense, we were able to play well with a good feeling. As a team, we were able to reaffirm our ability to play high-quality possession football against a K-League team. However, it's a shame that we couldn't do that in the second half. We have a training camp coming up, and we want to aim for a higher level to compete for the championship. (To our fans) Thank you so much for coming all the way to support us. We are sorry we couldn't win. Please continue to support us."

　【Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference】"First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Korean officials and FC Seoul officials for allowing us to play in this wonderful stadium in a well-organized manner. We are very happy to have been able to play in an atmosphere like this, in an environment similar to an official match. Thanks to the friendly and enthusiastic Korean supporters and FC Tokyo supporters, we were able to approach the game with high motivation. As for our performance, I think we were able to connect well in the midfield, but there were some shortcomings in the finishing. Also, we learned from FC Seoul's long balls and connections in front of the goal. (What is your evaluation of player Hirayama?) We recognize his potential and abilities. However, the opposing team is trying to neutralize his strengths, so he is working on ways to adapt and address the challenges. Not all players have all the abilities, and he is also working on difficult challenges for himself. (Cabore was the top scorer in the K League last year, but he hasn't scored many goals in the J League this year. What is your evaluation of him as a manager?) We are aware of his performance last year, and that's why we brought him to our team. It's true that he may not have scored many goals, but I think his contribution to the team is very high, and I believe he will score more goals as he gets used to the team. The record against FC Seoul is now 1 loss and 2 draws. (What about the past matches?) I was not the manager at the time, so I don't know. However, the strength in front of the goal, which we learned today, may be the reason. (Is there a possibility of participating in the ACL next year?) If we can make use of the valuable experience we gained today, we may be able to face Korean teams in the ACL next year, and that's what we hope for."